posted also under interior and other...sorry, im just not sure what it falls under

Hey everyone, in my 66 we are installing door pops. I need to know please, if anyone could tell me, how does the entire door assembly come together with the door. We need to figure where the pop solenoid needs to be mounted and what to connect it to. We have the pop solenoid mounted at the bottom of the door right now. The cable connects to the metal "L" bracket that connects to the lever for the inside door handle at the lock mechanism. The problem we are having, is that the solenoid is either not getting enough leverage or is not powerful enough to unlock the lock mechanism. The popper is installed, and functions (manually, unlocking the lock mechanism with our hands). Any insight that can be given would be greatly appreciated, this car is my baby, and my show car, so its important to me that it is done right & looks good for shows. I am the 3rd owner of the car, and am restoring it, while adding a few modern additions to prolong the life of the car and give the comfort and safety of newer technology. Sorry if any way that I phrased this confused anyone, this is the best way I know to explain it, if I can further clarify, please do not hesitate to email me with questions at HotRodKitty@aol.com

You may need a stronger solenoid to open the latch. What pulling power do your solenoids have and are you using the stock latches? You may need to use 35lb or even 50lb solenoids if you are using the stock latches. If the arm that the solenoid pulls can be extended and the solenoid re-attached it might also help since it will increase the leverage, thus making the job of the solenoid that much easier.

Sometimes problems can be caught up in the words, but here goes anyways.

An opening solenoid attaches to the latching mechanism of the door. When the solenoid is activated (electrically) the solenoid rod will pull on the rod to the latch of the door, thus releasing the latched door from the the secured door post.

A door popper is a smaller version of a solenoid and it goes in the inside sheet metal side of the door and is mounted perpendicular to the door surface. When the solenoid is activated the nylon nubbed solenoid rod will push against the door post, "as the door opening solenoid is activated opening the latch" and together, the door will be opened.

Door lock solenoid is a double acting solenoid that operates from a neutral position, and when activated will either open, or close a door locking mechanism.

As noted above the opening solenoid and the popper work in conjunction with each other to open the door. With the remote controls that are available today, you can have about 6 - 8 functions built-in to a door. Remotes can be operated from anywhere, so that you can shave exterior and "interior" door hardware to keep everything trim and neat.

alittle1 - thanks, but actually i knew the purpose of a door popper and how it works....which is why i am installing it on the car. thanks for explaining it anyway, someone may read it and have light shed on it for them, if they did not know it in advance. ALSO, I think that your post may clarify our question for anyone who is trying to help...i know my terminology is not correct on some of it.

jwcnj45 - we think we have 35 pound solenoids and we're not sure if we can extend the arm it connects to or not. but it does have the stock latches. if not, aftermarket OEM but they are chrome. theres only 1 place we can connect the opening solenoid to and the arm is only about 1/2 - 3/4" long.

is there any way to extend that arm or create more leverage that anyone knows of?

Just a word on the amount of pull that you require to open the latch. Try using an ordinary hand held FISH SCALE, to calculate the amount of pull. Most door latches open with 17 - 22 lbs pull at the latch. Make sure the latch isn't binding or that the latch isn't leaning on the pin.

wow...who would've thought! unfortunately i do not have one the L type bracket that the steel cable bolts to and connects to the eyelit on the release lever, moves a little when the solenoid is engaged. we tried a set of vice grips on it to hold the bracket so it did not shift, and it did not work at all.

no, all rods are out of the inside. the only rod that is left is the lock rod. the rod is still connected and when you push down on the rod it moves the lever that it is connected to, but has no effect on the latching part - or so it seems. could that be a problem with it?

Can't find the Ford lock box that I was looking for, but have a friend with a '69 pulling an old door out of the snow bank.

Can you pull the lock box out of the inside of the door? If you can, then what you should see is two linkages on the top side of the box, one for the unlocking rod (inside button) and the other that connects to the pushbutton door handle. On the side will be a lever coming to the door cylinder via an offset cam. On the bottom should be a lever that is worked by the inside door handle, this is the one we want the door solenoid connected to. I'm trying to do this from 30 years ago memory, so bear with me.

The inside button locking rod must be in the unlocked position, if you follow the rod down into the door and there is an eccentric pivot then the rod into the box must be pushed down. If there is no eccentric and its direct to the box, it should be pulled up. You can test the opening of the latch by gripping the latch box in a vice and insert a rod (phillips screwdriver) in the jaw of the latch, while pulling on the inside handle lever. If the jaw pops open, great, if not, the door is in the locked position.

By pulling on the inside door latch on older cars you could raise the inside door button and spring open the latch at the same time. As opposed to the new cars, pulling on the inside latch neutralizes the lock until the inside unlock lever is activated. Get a flashlight and a mirror and look inside the door while you operate the lock box. I know its hard to see in there but it one way to learn how the mechanism works, just like change brake shoes, one wheel at a time, so you always have a picture in front of you.

Question? What are you using for solenoids? Remote entry kit or wrecker stuff?

Phoned my buddy with the '69 Mustang, hard to get him away from the fire tonight, he's going to go out first thing in the morning and check his door supply. It's -15 tonight, keep warm!!

my hubbys grandpa is from between fairbanks and anchorage. he is a trapper.
the latch is the one on the left. we can get it out easy. we might put graphite on the moving parts. the "claws" work fine. i have made sure of that. the lock does not work. they are just there for the looks. after 30 years you remember this stuff very well. we are not going to take anything off. we want it to look stock. the solenoid is bolted to the lever that would have had the rod going to the door handle in the car. the solenoid is mounted to the bottom of the door. dont know if that angle of the solenoid cable is not helping or hurting. i am just wondering if we need new latches. the kit is from summit. it is the one with the alarm add on. hope you keep warm up there. thanks for all the help

That picture that I found for you was from Johns Mustang in Houston, Tx, http://johnsmustang.com/Catalog-143.html is the link to that page. Those locks do get grungie when the cad plating wears down and corrosion gets in, makes then harder to move. That inside handle has about a 4 to 1 ratio, so you can put some power on the pull. The old fish scale will give you a good idea of what amount of pull you need to open your latch. We use to use the same fish scale and a leather shoelace to set the tension on the Model A rearends, about 7 - 10 lbs pull if I remember right. I can remember that stuff but have to look twice to see if I buttered my toast, SFB, I guess.

Looks like you got things well in hand now, so I'll phone my buddy and tell him to stop looking. He probably upset a few rabbits and field mice in the process. Have a good Christmas.

I am going to re-bush the lower hinges on my Camaro doors
as they are worn and let the door fall a tad.This stops the solenoid from being able to open the lock properly.I can see on the striker wear marks indicating the door has dropped.
Opening the door slightly and pulling up on it shows wear as well,
drivers door is much worse.

we got it to work. the passenger door now works, haven't had time to get to the driver's door. we moved the solenoid up in the door. its mounted in the rear opening in the door. we used the slotted sheet metal they gave is in the kit, and fit it in there so that the solenoid's cable angles more directly towards the release lever. it took some shimmying to get the cable length correct but it works. when we get the digital camera working again, we can send pictures if anyone needs them. thanks for all the help guys.

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